I think it's significantly more challenging to drive here than in Texas. Urban Seattle, a walkable, urban city is a much different driving environment than the open roads of sprawling Texas.

When driving in Texas, I hardly ever had to watch out for anything other than cars, but on any given street here there are lots of things to watch out for, like bicyclists and pedestrians. Many roads are used by bicyclists, so I have to give them room, especially when passing. And many arterial streets have a lot of crosswalks, so I have to watch out for people crossing the streets. And, aside from crosswalks, pedestrians technically have the right of way at any intersection. There are also relatively few protected turns, so when turning left, not only do I have to watch out for oncoming traffic, but once there are no more cars coming, I also have to make sure there are no bikes coming, and make sure there are no pedestrians in the crosswalk or about to enter the intersection. And turning right isn't that much easier.

Plus, on top of all that, there are many hours of darkness and frequent light rain in the winter, with the occasional snow dusting. And, there are also hills, some of which are really steep, which makes the whole thing more difficult. While Seattle follows a pretty standard grid pattern, a lot of streets are ended or diverted by hills or water, making it important to know which street takes you which way you want to go. And because many arterial streets aren't much wider than normal neighborhood streets, it's not always easy to figure out which way to go.

And the streets are pothole-riddled and loud. Plus some parts of the city have bad traffic (not that traffic in Texas is much better).

All these factors combine to make it challenging to drive around urban Seattle. Furthermore, with only a couple short driving trips per week, my driving skills may have declined somewhat. The good thing is that alternative means of transportation like walking, biking, and taking the bus are a lot less challenging here.